Schlagwort-Archive: Florida

Florida – Miami and Key West

Since a few years my brother and I were talking about a trip to Florida. He’s never been to the US, and it was settled, that if he ever would travel to the States, it’d be with me.

It was clear that it’d be a challenge to travel together, and I confess, we have our times … not unexpected. But we manage and I really enjoy watching him being totally excited about all the things I – after many years of traveling through the US – take for granted.

We flew into Miami and stayed at a hotel close to the airport. For me it’s the most relaxing way to visit a city after a long flight. You just pick up the rental car at the airport, drive a few minutes and sleep in a nice, not too expensive hotel. On the next day take the free shuttle to the airport and public transportation downtown. A day pass for the Metrorail downtown Miami and the Metrobus to Miami Beach is $5.65, no stress driving, no stress finding a parking space.

We just had one day in Miami and spent most of that day at Miami Beach, Roland even went swimming.

On the second day we drove south to Key West. If you’ve ever been there or seen pictures, you know how beautiful the drive along the Florida Keys is. The Pelicans gliding over the surface of the ocean are such a majestic view. If it’s your first time it just takes your breath away. On the way back we made a short stop at the Bahia Honda State Park to go swimming in the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. 😉 We were very lucky to not just see (probably) a white headed sea eagle but also a Manatee.

In Key West we took bikes to ride around. It’s a great way to see as much of the island as possible in one day, and really worth the $10 rent! And yes, on the first evening we joined the crowd at the sunset party point, but the one on the eastern side the next evening was even better and the people on the planks made a nice motive.

Next stop will be Everglades NP.

Florida Panhandle, Alabama Gulf Coast and some other places…

What I loved about Florida:
Meeting Sue and Dan! 🙂


All the different birds, especially the Pelicans. It’s very relaxing to sit at the beach and watch the Pelicans diving for fish. They are very elegant.


Butterflies – all around.

 


Sun, beaches, white sand, the ocean.
St. George Island and the Alabama Coast.


Bike lanes and the possibility to rent bikes.


The bridges.


The Off-season.
Meeting people on campgrounds.
Watching the sunset at the beach.


Sitting outside in restaurants!
The seafood.
The Key Lime Pie.


Collecting shells – what is it with shells? Once you start looking for the special one, you’re addicted 😉


Swimming in the Ocean, being the only one 🙂


Breakfast on campgrounds, while planning the route for the day!


What I didn’t like ….. hahaha, just forget it. Remember the good things, anything else is already forgotten!

More than two weeks of traveling already went by, I have been to many different places, drove a bit more than 2000 miles, through Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky so far. Kentucky has been the 34th State I visited thoughout the years.

And you know what? I still love it. I feel good, exploring new areas, stumble accidentially over hidden treasures, like small State Parks along the roads or local Diners serving homemade food, seeing a deer on the roadside and having nice talks with friendly people on campgrounds and other places.

I’m looking forward to the next two weeks! 🙂

 

Animals of the Everglades, FL

This is a short post with a link to my Picasa page, where I’ve put some photos from the great variety of animals. In the end I’ve seen more alligators than expected. One came very close to the picknick area I was spending some time reading.

I just had one short day at the Everglades NP, but it’s still out of season there, which means not so many animals to see, and lots of mosquitos. So I made the best out of it and enjoyed all the birds flying around.

Yesterday I arrived at Marco Island to visit some very nice people I actually ‚met‘ on Facebook, and I really enjoy staying here over the weekend relaxing and talking.

Yeah, again, I feel like the lucky girl 😉

.https://picasaweb.google.com/101522085453291755183/AnimalsOfTheEverglades?authuser=0&feat=directlink